"We support the legitimate authority but legitimacy should not deprive us of our legitimate rights..."

Thursday, April 15, 2010

BN vs Zaid

I agree with what DPM Tan Sri Muhyiddin said - that BN has an equal chance of winning the Hulu Selangor Parliamentary seat on April 25, and that the ruling party must not be over confidence.

He made the comment a day before announcing the BN candidate for the by-election. Pakatan Rakyat has announced few days ago that former Minister in the Prime Minister's Dept Zaid Ibrahim will be 'parachuted' from Kelantan to Selangor for the job.

If I am Muhyiddin, I will not take Zaid lightly. The Umno-deserter was once a recognised figure with the government before quitting on personal reasons, only to join his mentor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim after that. I dont know him that much but Kota Bharu Umno members do, notably for the mess he left behind.

Who will stand for BN in Hulu Selangor is not important. The scenario now is BN against Zaid, and not MIC or Umno vs the 59-year old who owns the largest legal firm in the country. BN must choose someone of Zaid's credibility or the ruling party may have to add Hulu Selangor to its list of defeat.

Another factor which DPM said is the quest of Hulu Selangor voters is yet to be ascertained. Many had raised the point that its time for BN to switch it from the 'traditionally-must-be a MIC candidate' to Umno as the majority of voters there are Malays, whom we cant still detect which party do they favor most - BN or PR.

Some raised the issue of 'a secure victory' if BN fields an Umno candidate while some predicted a slalom for MIC choice.... to Samy Vellu's choice of candidate, to be precise.

And again, the question here is whether the government should go all out for a win or just to satisfy the MIC for the sake of 1Malaysia. Zaid is not a newcomer, bear that in mind. He knows how to cripple any effort to bring him down in politics.

Our DPM seemed to acknowledged the difficulty prior to the by-election. I believe he knows Zaid well enough as not to make any statement that would provide the Opposition with some good edges.

However, we must not discount the fact that the country is getting much better under the premiership of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. The economy is improving fast and steady as compared to some other countries in the region.

Our level of security, too has been enhanced while the development plan has began to show positive results nationwide. IMalaysia is getting more appreciation from all sectors of the community, including foreigners.

The only problem now is to read the minds of Hulu Selangor's voters... who will do such readings for the BN?

bn badly needs a win here to boost najib's 1malaysia. as we all know, a candidate from MIC will stand for the by-election. if the malays who form the majority of voters in hulu selangor can throw support behind him, then it augurs well for najib and his vision.